Relaxed and Confident Hyatt Wins Junior Ladies Title
by Lynn Rutherford
 (St. Louis, Mo., 1/13/06) -
She trailed the leader by more than nine points after the short program, but Megan Hyatt (Wagon Wheel FSC) didn’t worry.
“I knew I could make up the points in the free program if I went out there and landed my jumps,” said Hyatt, who skated to a medley including music from the soundtrack of “Mission Impossible 2.” “I felt very prepared. I just tried to stay focused and relaxed.”
The Lake Forest, Ill., native dismissed all thoughts of her disappointing fourth-place finish in the short program to win the free skate with a sparkling, fast-paced performance and win the 2006 U.S. junior ladies title with a total score of 139.96 points.
Hyatt nailed the jump she missed in the short, a triple Lutz, which she did in combination with a double toe loop. The tough competitor added four more triples and a solid double Axel, as well as a fine serpentine step sequence and a lovely layback spin.
The 15-year-old skater wasn’t always so calm, cool and collected. A year or two ago, it might have been a different story.
“In the past when I missed something, I would dwell on it. Then, as I got older, I learned that doing that never helps. You can’t go back in time and fix mistakes. If you worry too much about a fall, you’ll just miss more stuff,” explained the older and wiser Hyatt, who took up the sport at age 3 after following her hockey-playing older brother to the rink.
Denise Myers, who coaches Hyatt with Alex Ouriashev in Vernon Hills, Ill., encourages her pupil’s easy-going approach.
“We just try to get her to take one element at a time – not just the jumps, but the spins and spirals as well,” said Myers, who has taught Hyatt for nine years. “If she just focuses on winning, or racking up a lot of points, that will be less effective than concentrating on the overall performance.”
One skater who always focused on her programs, rather than competitive results, was five-time U.S. champion Janet Lynn, the Wagon Wheel club’s most famous competitor. In recognition of her fine training attitude and strong competitive results - including a bronze medal at the 2005 U.S. junior ladies event - Hyatt was awarded Wagon Wheel’s Janet Lynn Award for Excellence in Skating.
“I actually read Janet Lynn’s biography (“Peace and Love”) and was really inspired by it,” Hyatt said.
Myers thinks her student’s award, as well as this junior title, is well deserved.
“I saw Megan’s desire and competitive fire at a young age,” Myers said. “Good things come to those who work hard and show dedication.”
In keeping with her ongoing pursuit of excellence, Hyatt plans to increase the difficulty of her programs next season.
“Right now, my triple flip comes and goes, and I would like to get it consistent so I can put it in my programs,” she said. “I’m also capable of doing all level 4 spins, so I will also shoot for that next season.”
The leader after the short program, Rachael Flatt (Broadmoor SC), settled for the silver medal after a fifth-place free skate that earned 83.87 points. Performing to the familiar strains of Bizet’s “Carmen,” the tiny (4’7”) 13-year-old hit a solid triple Lutz-double toe combination but fell on the second jump in her triple toe-triple toe combo. Her large lead after the short enabled her to hang on to second place with 137.45 points total.
“I felt comfortable with the triple-triple in practice here and was training it well at home, but that’s the first time I’ve put it out there in competition and we all make mistakes. I’m OK with it,” Flatt said.
Her coach, Tom Zakrajsek, said Flatt would definitely skate as a junior next season.
“Her placement here will allow her to get Junior Grand Prix assignments,” Zakrajsek said. “She has to develop her skating skills. We want her to have a triple Axel before she moves up to senior, and we will also be working on some harder triple-triple combinations.”
Melissa Bulanhagui (University of Delaware FSC) was third in both the short program and free skate to take the bronze medal with 135.47 points.
The 15-year-old excited the crowd with her huge jumps and fast-paced footwork, which was impressive despite an ill-timed fall that resulted in an automatic one-point deduction.
“I really enjoy doing the jumps more than the spins or choreography,” she said. “That’s why we have the (triple) flip, Lutz and toe loop combinations in the second half of my program.”
“She’s a great talent,” said Bulanhagui’s coach, Ron Ludington, who laughed, “of course, she has a little trouble doing her footwork; she thinks she’s swimming.”
Another strong jumper, Ashley Wagner (Anchorage FSC), was fourth in the free skate and fourth overall with 132.45 points.
“I’m working a lot with a dance teacher to improve my (program components) score,” said the 14 year-old Wagner. “I’m also working on the triple Axel and I’d like to go for it next season,”
Juliana Cannarozzo (SC of Boston) climbed from 10th place after the short program to fifth place overall with a second-place free skate that opened with a lovely triple loop-double toe combination and included four more triple jumps and a strong double Axel.
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